Milo

[dbltree]

I think I would just chop/shed it up and plant some annual clover like crimson or berseem for the summer and then decide what you would rather have there this fall.

I really like the winter rye/pea combination and that is always a hit with deer all winter long. Till under the clover in late August to plant the rye/pea combination and add some red clover when you plant.


There are other options like soybeans of course but they often wipe those out by the end of summer if you don't have a large field...

 

[Skully]

Will do , thanks! :way:

 

[dbltree]

Caught a brief break between storms and got my soybean/milo plot planted.

The field was in winter rye and clover, one a nitrogen scavenger and the other a nitrogen producer and together they make a great combination to till under or even no-till corn or milo into.

Tons of biomass are added to the soil along with nitrogen as the killed rye and clover decompose....al for the minimal cost of a little seed the fall before. Not to mention feeding whitetails all fall, winter and spring.

Fertilizer prices are not great but still less then a year or two ago so I try to build up P&K levels when prices are on the low side. I broadcasted 400#'s of 10-28-28 first

Then 250#'s of urea which is more then enough considering I tilled under white and red clovers capable of fixing 200#'s of N per acre.

I spread into the standing rye...easier to see where I had been

and where I was going!

Small plotters will want to mow the clover and rye before tilling or better yet, no-till in RR seed and just nuke everything although it takes a very strong does of gly and 2-4D to kill the clovers.

I just disc mine under which allows the clovers to eventually come back

I hooked onto the JD7000 no-till...the coulters slice thru the surface trash very nicely!

I mixed the soybeans and milo seed together, setting the the planter to plant 36#s per acre with 38" rows and then turned around and planted between the existing rows.

I added 10#'s of milo seed per acre (5#'s per pass)

Set the driver and driven sprockets to 26-16

Sprayed 1.75 pints per acre of Dual II Magnum per acre to provide residual weed control in the conventional soybeans and Concep treated WGF milo seed. Hours later we got a 1/2" of rain...perfect!

The soybeans had 2500 seeds per pound or 125,000 seeds per bag so I planted roughly 180,000 seeds per acre along with 10#'s of milo seed.

Hope to get my 3 wire 2 fence electric barrier put up in a few weeks to protect the soys and then we'll see how this combination does this summer...

 

[dbltree]

6-10-2010

Milo and soybean combination planting is about two weeks old....planted with my JD 7000 planter once then twice to give me roughly 19" rows with emphasis on"rough"....

The Dual II Magnum herbicide is working very well especially combined with the allelopathic chemicals in the winter rye I tilled under.

We have been inundated with ceaseless heavy rainfall for 6 weeks now recieving 1-3" downpours often only 1-3 days apart and that tends to push both nitrogen and residual herbicides deeper into the soil beyond usefull ranges. In some spots I notice a little velvetleaf coming up but I could apply BUTYRAC. 200 Broadleaf Herbicide with some stipuations if need be.

The soybeans look like this where deer have not munched them off

But the field was rapidly being decimated!:thrwrck:

So we took advantage of our one solitary day without rain to get busy on our electric fence and even then got rained out before it was completed. We mowed falcata alfalfa that rings the field and hope that it will also act as a buffer along with adjacent Alice white clover to keep hungry whitetails from "testing" the fence....

My son and I worked like madmen to get what we could done before yet another T-storm forced to get out of the field so i had little time for more pictures but it is interesting that deer have become so adapted to feeding in this field that they have not touched soybeans that I planted leading to another field.

They have used the same well worn trails through the NWSG and into this field for 15 years now so exactly how they will react to the fence is hard to say but I'm hopeful that in time I can discourage them until November rolls around. At least the milo is untouched and my ace in this scenario because I don't expect them to touch it until fall....fence or no......

 

[dbltree]

We continue to be inundated with almost daily heavy rainfall here in SE Iowa and it is honestly quite rare to go a full 24 hours without at least a 1/2" of rain! Last week we averaged an inch a day on already saturated soils and flooded fields, all of which is drowning crops in the fields and pushing nitrogen beyond the root zone. Thousands of acres are unplanted and as many more unsprayed creating very difficult situations for farmers here.

Passing by fields of yellow and uneven corn, I know I am blessed to have my milo and beans on reasonably well drained soil although much of it is still suffering.

Milo/soybean combo at 3 weeks

The WGF milo is better adapted to hot dry weather but most of it is doing well

Now that I have the field fenced the beans are rebounding and handling the wet soils better then the milo

Parts of my field looks like this...drowned out!

You can see the lower leaves of the soybeans are yellow and the milo is spotted

The Dual II Magnum herbicide is keeping the crops clean

and that is even more apparant where I missed a strip!

The rye straw mulch also helps suffucate weeds and in dry years conserves soil moisture

The white clover I disced down is returning which is another neat aspect of adding clover to a fall rye planting!

I find it interesting how over the past 15 years deer have become so adapted to feeding in this field via well worn routes that they have completely ignored a smaller second field around the corner. These beans lead to that field and though unfenced deer have not ravaged them as of yet.

They walk right thru these beans to reach their usual feeding area rather then forage on these on the way...weird!

I finally got the fence completed although the single fence kept all but a couple deer out

The three wire, 2 fence project is a hybrid so to speak of fencing supplies from various suppliers

I mowed my falcata alfalfa tight to the ground and installed the fence in it, hoping the strip of falcata will help act as a buffer as well

The fence was actually shorted in an area that didn't get mowed so I used the weed whacker to clean everything up and once the grasses start to regrow I'll clean up the alfalfa with clethodim in a backpack sprayer.

Our forecast includes daily heavy rains for the forseeable future but hot weather this time of year will at least help dry the surface of saturated soils.

I'm also nothing less then ecstatic that the fence appears for now at least to be working....a field of standing soybeans in November is doggone hard to beat! :way:

 

[dbltree]

Iowa Ag Sec. Bill Northery toured SE Ia and called the situation heartbreaking having seen nothing like it since the devastating floods of 1993. Thousands upon thousands of acres of corn is severely stunted and sick from saturated soils from which nitrogen has been flushed beyond the root zone leaving them looking like these.

Most of this corn will not recover although desperate farmers are dribbling on liquid nitrogen between the rows in hopes of salvaging their crop. In many cases they are thowing good money after bad and at best in some fields they may at least lesson their losses.

I mention these things for several reasons...landowners should never put in only one type of food source for a number of reasons but not the least of which it could end up like those corn fields. Planting only one food source means that part of the year your whitetails have nothing to eat on your property and if severe weather hits (floods, hail, high winds etc.) your out of luck for the season!

Seeing how weather affects crops so dramatically also helps us understand why other crops or plantings may fail or not do well...common sense perhaps but many landowners today have not been planting long enough to have experienced these things and then end up bewildered and perplexed at failures.

Some of my milo is just as sick as the neighboring corn fields and perhaps even more so because milo prefers warmer drier conditions.

All things considered however my milo/soybeanplanting is doing as well as can be expected

The Dual II Magnum is keeping it relatively clean despite the heavy rains

I found one track that was not fresh inside the fenced field

The Poly Wire is holding up and does not seem to have stretched too much yet although my corner posts could use an anchor!

The soybeans are definitely recovering!

So other then the occasional "fence crasher" I think I have this thing licked!

A week of warm dry weather should improve growing conditions and I have some Coron28 foliar nitrogen that I'd like to test on some of the milo...stay tuned....:way:

 

[letemgrow]

Looks great Paul!!! Did you try some aluminum foil/peanut butter on the fence? I have heard from several farmers in my area that works great to condition deer about the fence.

 

[dbltree]

Looks great Paul!!! Did you try some aluminum foil/peanut butter on the fence? I have heard from several farmers in my area that works great to condition deer about the fence.

I have not but I did notice that Mali feels it does help, I just haven't taken the time to do it, certainly worth trying...:way:

 

[dbltree]

One good thing about grain sorghum is that, unlike corn it has a very short growing window. Wild Game Food sorghum matures in 50-55 days and also unlike corn it has a very low water requirement and is bitter tasting until later in the fall.

Good info at this site: Wildlife Grain Sorghum

That makes milo a great option for wet springs, northern areas with short growing seasons, areas with heavy grazing pressure and areas with poor soil moisture.

I got the wet spring part covered!

I planted WGF sorghum and some Pheasants Forever sorghums and some Egyptian Wheat in a tree planting that we hope will keep deer from walking the rows in the rubbing stage and provide an alternative food source during the late winter browsing period. It remains to be seen if that part wil work or not but it will still be interesting to see how the sorghums compare and "feed the birds" this winter.

Covey Rise is a grain sorghum mix more on the order of the WGF milo

Blizzard Buster is a taller mix that includes some forage sorghums to provide more screening and cover

All of it treated with ConcepIII so that Dual II Magnum can be used

Atrazine is safe to use on sorghums but it is a restricted use herbicide and that makes it difficult for some landowners to use it.

I planted these seeds seperately and mixed in the multiple rows of the tree planting so we can compare and see how they do and how deer react to them later this fall and winter.

I applied 200#'s of 46-0-0 urea and 400#'s of 6-24-24 and tilled it in before planting. then broadcast seed at roughly 5#'s per acre and lightly tilled them in while pulling a cultpacker behind.

A week later it's coming up nicely...

Milo is not for everyone but it is an option for many and a great way to add diversity and bird food and cover to your habitat program....:way:

 

[dbltree]

It was 97 yesterday with a heat index of 127 here in SE Iowa! What a difference heat makes when combined with good soil moisture rather then cool weather and saturated soils!

The milo is really starting to get cranking now!

The soybeans are slowly recovering since I fenced the plot

I could hear the fencer "popping" as I walked up to because a tag end of the Poly Wire had flopped over against a corner post. I'm used to "wire" that stays in place so one needs to cut ends off or use electrical tape to make sure it stays in place. I could however find no evidence of deer having been in the plot

I mention often that attempting to side dress urea is a tricky proposition a best because unless incorporated by some means within 24 hours most of it will be lost. For that reason I always disc/till it in at planting be it corn, milo or brassicas.

Incorporate urea within 24 to 36 hours to avoid nitrogen loss from volatilization. Mechanical incorporation by plowing down, disking in, cultivating in as a sidedress, and timing the application just before a rainfall all are effective methods. One-half inch of rain is sufficient. Broadcasting urea on corn plants causes some leaf injury, and although this is not a widespread practice, it has been used by some farmers and in research trials with satisfactory results. Sidedressing that is incorporated is preferred over topdressing.

Last night the forecast called for 70-80% chance of 1/2 - 3/4" of rain but we didn't get a drop and we have 3 days of hot humid weather ahead of us. Had I broadcasted urea last night I might as well have burned the cash and saved myself the effort because it would have all been lost. Ammonium nitrate or sulfate are better options but nearly impossible to get in my area but should you need to side dress additional N be sure to ask your ag co-op if they carry it or treated urea.

My milo appears to be recovering without added N but this year is a case where side dressing might be needed after heavy rains push nitrogen beyond root zones....

 

[dbltree]

The milo and soybean planting is picking up steam!

I've been to busy planting brassicas to try and get any additonal urea on it but I think it will do fine without it.

The soybeans are starting to flower...first time I have seen that happen on my place in years!!

No sign of anything breeching the fence anywhere

Despite the fact that weeds had shorted the fence in a couple spots

My son nuked the weeds with roundup and I'm thinking in the future I may just use Oust so nothing grows back underneath the 2 wire fence. The outer wire is over top of Falcata alfalfa so I had him spray clethodim there.

The beans were grazed right to the ground when they first came up, before I got the fence up and while I'm thankful they recovered, growth is slower or at least behind those that were ungrazed. Next year Ithe fence will be ready and working the minute I'm done planting....:way:

 

[Nontypcl1]

I'm looking to put in 2-3 acres of soybeans next year and plan on fencing them. I've done a little pricing on fence components but would like to see what others have come up with for $ amount. A ballpark figure of what it cost per acre would be much appreciated.

 

[dbltree]

I'm looking to put in 2-3 acres of soybeans next year and plan on fencing them. I've done a little pricing on fence components but would like to see what others have come up with for $ amount. A ballpark figure of what it cost per acre would be much appreciated.

I was able to borrow a solar fencer but they are $160 on up for those.

You need steel T posts for corners, 8 of them at $3.50/4.00 a piece

I used the white step in posts that run 1.75 to 2.25 depending on sales etc. and used one every 30 yards (double that for two fences) and the Poly Wire was $39 for a 1320' roll. I believe I used about 5 of those to fence roughly 2 1/2 acres.

The Poly Tape is more expensive as is the Turbo wire but I seem to be getting along fine with the Poly Wire. They can see it well and so far have not ran into it and torn it down.

 

[dbltree]

August 2nd 2010

Milo at roughly 70 days growth (Wild Game Food sorghum)

Supposed to get 24-30 high but it's easily double that already as you can see by this 6' T post!

Tremendous amount of feed for both deer and upland birds especially with the soybeans mixed in.

Most of it has recovered from the drowning rains in May and June and the rich green color shows the effects of using plenty of nitrogen.

Neither birds nor deer will eat the high tannin seed heads until cold weather sweetens it in the fall.

Right now deer are pounding tender ears of corn and will literally eat the stalk and all but such is not the case with milo.

I have one field fenced and one that is not and there is no damage to milo in the unfenced field desipite my high deer densities.

I'll post pics of the soybeans tomorrow but they are also doing well and co-existing well with the milo...

 

[dbltree]

The soybean component of the milo/bean mix is doing well with the electric fence protecting them. The milo has gotten tall enough that one has to look for the soybeans now however....

Where the heavy rains slowed growth of the milo the soybeans are a little easier to see

Pods are forming now

Most places the beans are easily waist high

Not bad considering deer ate them to the ground before I got the fence up!

The milo/soybean combination does make for some awesome cover and a sure bet to draw deer the moment the fence is removed until they have scoured every last grain from this planting by late winter. Late season hunting is one of my favorite times to hunt because with other crops off and chisel plowed ANY food source remaining will attract hordes of deer including mature bucks gaunt and hungry from the rut.

In late December and early January standing soybeans, corn and milo will get pounded and thanks to my new fence I intend to enjoy some great late season hunts! :way:

 

[turkeyriver]

I planted milo/soybeans as a cattle forage crop this year after removing a crop of winter wheat. Because of rain, I didn't get it planted until June 15, but it has grown well anyway. Looking at your pics, I can tell you that if the deer hadn't eaten off the beans early, it would look quite different. My crop is about 3 feet tall and the beans are keeping up with the milo. I expect the milo to top out in the next couple weeks and head out, but the understory of beans is really thick. Maybe the milo won't be as good as yours and I'm not sure which way is better for a wildlife food plot. Mine will get chopped off as silage so I won't know how it would mature in the fall. The seed is cheap so I will definitely try some next year in food plots. I think the key to this crop is timing the planting. Too early and the milo won't grow well and weeds will take over. Too late and the beans will be short and not compete with the milo. I know, I need to post pics but I know barely enough about computers to get to this site!

 

[Sligh1]

I'm thinking you are gonna need a good old "Lick Creek Blind" to be sitting in while you're on that patch of rediculous deer magnet!

 

[dbltree]

I know, I need to post pics but I know barely enough about computers to get to this site! <!-- / message -->

Your welcome to email them to me if you like... dbltree2000@yahoo.com

I'm thinking you are gonna need a good old "Lick Creek Blind" to be sitting in while you're on that patch of rediculous deer magnet!

I'm savin' my pennies Skip! :way:

 

[dbltree]

One advantage of milo is that it doesn't have to fenced or at least it would be rare but soybeans are quite another story. Eventually I'll put togther a thread just on fencing so that all the basic requirements are covered but here's a few things I used on mine.

The corner insulaters have many uses and an extended standoff insulater as shown here enables one to have a "break" point where you can disconnect and drop down a fence without dropping the entire thing. Also a way to easily extend the fence from the current corner posts.

I used two corner insulaters at each corner even though one is all that is needed to hold the poly wire. I can easily let down and roll up an end without lowering the whole fence by using two corner insulaters.

I use the extended insulaters to run a wire from fence to fence from the fencer also

Roundup of course works well to keep things killed under the fence but one might also consider adding Oust, atrazine, simazine or Dual II Magnum with the first spraying to keep from having to re-spray all summer. It depends of course if the plot and fence are somewhat permanant or if it will be moved yearly on which if any residual herbicides might be used.

The T posts were not really necessary except on the corners but they do provide the option of allowing a section of fence to be removed whereas the plastic posts are only strong enough to hold up the wire.

The Poly wire is the least expensive option and it hasn't stretched or broken nor have deer knocked it down. I have found a few tracks where deer touched the fence and then bolted and when I walked the shoulder high milo the other day, I did jump a yearling inside the plot. She bounded away and of course easily cleared both fences, I could not however find any tracks in the very moist soil and there was no obvious evidence of grazing on the beans.

With the fence already in place for next year I feel deer will be adapted to it and I can safely grow corn and beans without having them decimated. A friend had the neighbors cows get in to his 3 acre soybean field and they mowed them to the ground overnight so fencing can have other benefits as well...

 

[dbltree]

I thought about trying to get some brassicas started in the milo/soybean planting but the canopy is just to dense right now.

I'll just wait till the leaves start to turn and then overseed winter rye and Groundhog forage radish into the standing beans and milo. Canopy will still be dense at first but once leaves drop and the milo leaves wilt I think I can still get some green growth to go along with the grain in this plot....